WHO to host consult on potential Ebola treatment

Geneva, August 22, 2014

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to host a consultation on potential Ebola cures and vaccines in Geneva next month, said a report.

The consultation, which will take place on September 4 and 5, has been convened to gather expertise about the most promising experimental therapies and vaccines and their role in containing the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, said the Emirates News Agency (WAM) report.

More than 100 experts in areas including pharmaceutical research, clinical demands of Ebola care, ethical, legal and regulatory issues, will attend the event.

The issues of safety and efficacy will be discussed together with innovative models for expediting clinical trials and also explored will be possible ways to ramp up production of the most promising products.

It will feature presentations about the real conditions and challenges in affected African countries, which will shape the consensus advice that is expected to emerge.

ZMapp is one of several experimental treatments and vaccines for Ebola that are currently undergoing investigation, for which supplies are extremely limited currently, the report added.